This rich keto chocolate ice cream ice cream is for serious chocolate lovers only. Rich and creamy, it’s called Death By Chocolate Ice Cream with good reason! No wimpy chocolate flavor here, my friends.
I often write a blog post thinking about what I have to say about a particular recipe. But today we are going to flip that on its head: what does this recipe say about me? I think this one is speaking loud and clear.
This recipe is saying that I love really rich keto chocolate ice cream. This recipe says that when it comes to chocolate cravings, I don’t mess around. It also says that I am your typical woman, moody and irritable at times, and chocolate is the best way to soothe the beast.
This recipe is saying that yeah, if it’s my time to go, I wouldn’t mind drowning in a big vat of low carb dark chocolate ice cream. That’s what this recipe says about me. Now ask yourself, what does this recipe say about you?
If you love seriously chocolatey keto treats as much as I do, be sure to check out my Death By Chocolate Cheesecake too. And go ahead and check out my Fudgy Keto Brownies while you’re at it.
Updating Keto Death By Chocolate Ice Cream
I originally wrote this death by chocolate ice cream recipe back in 2015. Since that time, I’ve gotten better and better at making keto ice cream so I decided it was time to re-visit this and see if I could improve upon it.
One of the advancements in my keto ice cream making skills is the use of some BochaSweet, as I have discovered that using half Swerve and half BochaSweet produces the perfect ice cream texture. The ice cream doesn’t freeze as solidly, which means you can scoop it more easily right out of the freezer.
I also discovered that I made a bit of an error in my nutritional calculations. I should have increased the number of servings, since the churning process increases the volume of the ice cream significantly (usually by another 30 to 50%). This is an incredibly rich ice cream and I should have said it served at least 10, if not 12.
Because it makes a huge amount of ice cream, I decided to cut back on the quantities of all ingredients when I re-tested it, so this new updated version actually does serve 8 people (1/2 cup per serving).
How to make Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
I actually made this recipe a few times before I was satisfied with it. The first time, the custard was so thick and rich after being refrigerated that it was like keto chocolate pudding and I could hardly pour it into the ice cream maker. It was so good and chocolate-y, though, I knew I was on to something. I just had to tweak it a little to get it right.
Here are my best tips for making the best keto chocolate ice cream recipe!
Use good quality dutch process cocoa powder
Dutched cocoa powder has been treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize the acidity. It is darker than natural cocoa, and has a richer, more chocolate-y flavor. I find that it also dissolves and mixes better into liquids and cake batters.
My favorite brand is Valrhona, but it’s quite pricy. King Arthur Flour also has a nice dutch process, as does Rodelle. Hershey’s Dark is a good store-bought option as well. I don’t recommend black cocoa as it would be too dark for this recipe.
Use an instant read thermometer
I simply cannot recommend a good instant read thermometer enough. It’s ideal for making sure your meats are cooked to temperature but it’s also great for ice creams, custards, and candies. This is a custard-based ice cream, as it contains egg yolks, and being able to tell when those eggs have reached a proper temperature is ideal for both food safety and for the consistency of the ice cream itself.
Both sweeteners are important
I find myself saying this a lot lately! Trust me, I know it’s frustrating to have to purchase two ingredients to make up for what sugar would normally do, but the results are beyond compare. Using only Swerve will result in a rock hard ice cream out of the freezer. Using only BochaSweet will make it so soft, it’s more like soft serve.
The ONLY substitutions for BochaSweet are allulose or xylitol. Please do not ask if you can substitute monk fruit sweetener. Most “monk fruit sweeteners” are erythritol based, which means they are very similar to Swerve. Which also means that they will cause your ice cream to freeze very hard.
The reality is that for any keto ice cream, you can use whatever sweetener you want. But you will face issues with scoop-ability and will need to let it thaw on your counter for up to 20 minutes before serving.
The vodka is optional
But it does help a lot. Alcohol inhibits large ice crystals from forming, which helps keep your keto ice cream recipes softer and creamier. And 1 1/2 tablespoons spread among 8 servings amounts to about 1/2 teaspoon per serving, which is not enough alcohol to affect anyone.
Thin out the custard before churning
The chocolate custard base is very thick once it’s chilled. Thinning it out with some almond milk will allow it to churn much more easily. Most home ice cream makers would not be able to handle that super thick consistency!
The richest, most chocolatey keto chocolate ice cream!
I have tried any number of keto chocolate ice creams on the market and they all suffer from the same problem… not enough chocolate flavor! I think many companies are so concerned with the final carb count, they reduce the chocolate so much it’s practically not even there.
I myself have made a few low carb chocolate ice cream recipes that simply aren’t chocolatey enough for me.
That’s why this recipe calls for both cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. It packs some serious chocolate flavor into this amazing sugar-free ice cream. Death by chocolate is the way to go!
Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided, use hemp milk for nut-free
- 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup Bocha Sweet, can sub allulose or xylitol
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp vodka, optional, helps reduce iciness
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Set a bowl over an ice bath.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, 1/2 cup of the almond milk, cocoa powder and sweeteners. Whisk together until well combined and stir until mixture reaches 160F on an instant read thermometer.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking continuously to temper the yolks. Slowly add the tempered yolks back into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth.
- Pour mixture into bowl set over ice bath and let cool 10 minutes. Then wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Before churning, whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of almond milk milk, the vodka, if using, the vanilla extract, and the salt (the mixture will be VERY thick until these ingredients are whisked in).
- Pour the mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions.
- Once churned, transfer to an airtight container and freeze another few hours until firm.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Absolutely the most decadent ice cream I’ve ever made!
So so so delicious!
When I read the reviews on Amazon, the reviews consistently mention “intestinal distress” from Bocha Sweet so I haven’t purchased it yet. Have you experienced this issue?
I have zero GI distress from BochaSweet and I use it regularly – nor has anyone in my family. That said, I typically use it at half strength or less, always mixed with other sweeteners. My thought is that some people are just consuming too much of it and/or trying to directly replace sugar with it. In my recipes, I usually use about 50 to 70 percent of sweetener compared to the sugar people would use. Our tastes change as we grow into keto and we need things less sweet.
I do have a few readers who only use BochaSweet and they don’t get any GI distress either. But it’s very individual so I can’t guarantee you anything. A lot of people tolerate allulose well but I get SEVERE GI distress from it.
Just about everyone absolutely loved the results! I’m not much of a chocolate ice cream fan. Any suggestions for substitutions to make, say maple walnut, pecan, or any of the exotics like you see at the ice cream stands?
Hi Randy… use the search box on my site and you will find ALL of my keto ice cream recipes. Got maple walnut, vanilla, butter pecan, strawberry, lemon… etc!
Thank you, Carolyn! This is an excellent chocolate ice cream, low carb or not. I forgot to add the xanthan gum and only used 2 oz of chopped chocolate (my bar is 4 oz and I want to save half for next time). It is perfection. I served some to my sweet-eating sister and nephew and they loved it! Excellent alone or with a few raspberries to offset the richness!
I’m going to use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement powder today since I have it on hand and didn’t want to use up my real eggs. I’ll let you know the results. Looked all over the web to see if the powder could be used in ice cream but came up with zilch and figured what the heck just do it.
Can you do without tempering? I use pasteurized eggs and the regular recipe I use does not cook the eggs, but don’t want to waste all the cream if I must do so.
This recipe has a custard base so it works best and thickens more if you do temper. But if you don’t want to, then try doing it your way with the pasteurized eggs.
A question: how necessary is it to cool the mixture before putting it into the ice cream maker? Does some significant chemical change happen during the cooling process, or is it only required because a typical ice cream maker has a limited cooling capacity which will be exceeded if the mixture isn’t cold when you put it in? (In other words, if the ice cream maker is a posh one with built-in refrigeration, can you skip the cooling stage?)
Even if you have the compressor style ice cream makers (I have one too), it is still necessary to cool it to at least room temperature. Even the “posh” ones would take a very long time to churn it if you go with hot custard.
If I may chime in. First of all, there are some who believe that the ice cream base improves as it cures (during the cooling process). Second, you want the ice cream to spend as little ‘residence time’ in the machine as possible. The less time, the creamier and less icy the ice cream will turn out. Hope that helps inspire you to let it chill down 🙂
It’s also, quite frankly, because most home ice cream makers can’t handle lukewarm or room temp mixtures. They don’t have enough cooling power.
I made this tonight and OMG this was amazing. It reminds me of the Borden’s Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream. It is amazing. Really, really worth the trouble! And my husband (who hates anything but Sugar Sweetened stuff) really liked it too. Score one for us!
So glad you liked it!
Can you use Bocha Sweet instead of the Swerve?
You can use half Swerve, half Bocha. But if you use all Bocha, it’s so soft, it’s more like soft serve.
Would this recipe benefit from the Bocha Sweet makeover you did on the vanilla ice cream recipe? Think I could sub some Bocha Sweet for the stevia?
Hi Carolyn,
i’m planning on make this…sounds like everyone loves it. Question: can i substitute Swerve Sweetener with Stivia powder?. thanks
Yes… just be forewarned that it will freeze pretty hard and needs to be left on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes to be scoop able.
Thank you for your work on this recipe. My Cuisinart ice cream maker arrived today. This will be my first recipe to make. I am so tired of paying $5 for a mere pint of Halo Top and it not being wonderful tasting. But I am surely an ice cream person.
Is it possible to substitute the heavy whipping cream for whole fat yogurt? I have a container that I am not eating fast enough and I would like to use it up but I am not sure if it would work for this recipe.
Thank you!
I think that would probably work.
I made this today, using my Cuisinart Ice cream maker and it is OUTSTANDING! IT’S ONE OF THE BEST CHOCOLATE ICE CREAMS I HAVE EVER TASTED, LOW CARB OR NOT!
So glad you like it!
Can vegetable glycerine be used instead of vodka to help it not freeze so completely solid? Is vegetable glycerine keto friendly? Thanks!
I don’t use it at all anymore because it’s hard to know what affect it has on blood sugar. But you’re welcome to try it.
Excellent recipe! I made it without the vodka or xanthim gum. I used unsweetened coconut milk and I added 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder. Decadent and delicious! We’re making it again tonight! Thanks!!